Barbarian Swordsmen
|upkeep_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = Large Shield Thrown 1 }} Barbarian Swordsmen are a type of Normal Unit that can be recruited in Barbarian Towns containing at least a Barracks and a Smithy. Swordsmen are a basic combat unit available to all Races. They are better defended against Ranged Attacks than other low-tier units, but generally don't pose much of a threat to more advanced units. They can become somewhat stronger through though. Barbarian Swordsmen have a Construction Cost of , and require an Upkeep Cost of and to maintain. Failure to pay these costs will result in the unit being disbanded automatically. Unit Properties Physical Description Barbarian Swordsmen are a group of humanoids, with blond hair and dressed only in green trousers. They each carry a sword for up-close-and-personal combat, and a large brown buckler which protects them from enemy arrows and other ranged attacks. They also carry various throwing weapons which they lob at enemies before charging into them. Barbarian Swordsmen are a , containing up to soldiers. Attack Properties Barbarian Swordsmen possess a Melee Attack that will initially only be threatening to other low-tier Normal Units. They have an Attack Strength of , which yields an average "raw" output of per Swordsman. While this can be decent against lighter armor, it's not quite enough to consistently hurt well-protected opponents. Barbarian Swordsmen do get better with though, both in strength and accuracy. At the level, the maximum normally attainable, their attacks will do over twice this much - points of "raw" , on average, per Swordsman. Like most Barbarians, Barbarian Swordsmen also have a . Whenever they initiate a Melee Attack against an enemy unit, they will precede the "mutual melee" with a short-range attack. This has an initial strength of only though, as indicated by the magnitude of the Barbarian Swordsmen's Thrown ability. As a result, it only has a base 30% chance to yield any "raw" at all - which the opponent may then reduce through a Defense Roll. However, this attack has two advantages. First, it is executed before the enemy could retaliate, which means that any it does cause may reduce the amount of enemy that can strike back at the Barbarian Swordsmen during melee. Second, it allows the unit to engage opponents, which units without special abilities are normally incapable of. On the other hand, this Attack Type only works on voluntary attacks - the Barbarians can't use it when Counter Attacking against an enemy assault. Defensive Properties Barbarian Swordsmen are lightly armored, possessing a Defense score of . They can deflect about points from Conventional Damage attacks, on average. Unfortunately, this is rarely enough to avoid anything but the weakest attacks. Like all Swordsmen however, they carry Large Shields, which grant an extra against all types of Conventional Damage that is delivered at a range. This brings their average reduction up to against , , and , as well as , , the hidden Conventional component of most Gaze Attacks, and all spells and effects that deal Conventional Damage, including Area Damage. As with most common foot soldiers though, each Barbarian Swordsman has only . In other words, each point of inflicted on this unit will kill off one of its . Their Resistance score is not impressive either. Even with their racial bonus, they only have - barely enough for a fair chance at avoiding even the weakest Unit Curses and other ill effects. , , and even improve with however. Other Properties Barbarian Swordsmen move at a slow , and can only traverse land tiles. The unit has no special movement properties. Basic Strategy Barbarian Swordsmen are a step up from the basic Barbarian Spearmen. Stronger on the attack, and better defended against spells and ranged opponents, they can serve as a decent main-line unit in the early stages of the campaign. The Barracks and Smithy required to recruit them are typically cheap enough to build in every Town, especially since the latter is also needed for some of the economical Town Buildings, and is likely to be constructed sooner rather than later. Because of their defensive advantage, Swordsmen are often a better choice than Spearmen for garrisoning frontier Settlements and contested areas. However, it should be noted that unlike Spearmen, they also cost to maintain in addition to , and their lower count makes enhancements effects slightly less pronounced for them. At the same time though, Barbarian Swordsmen still get double benefit from most Attack Strength increases because of their , which should naturally be utilized whenever possible. Ability Overview Large Shield * This unit receives a Defense bonus of against all types of Conventional Damage delivered at range - including all Ranged Attacks, short-range attacks, and . Thrown 1 * Whenever this unit makes a voluntary Melee Attack against an enemy target, it also delivers a Thrown Attack with a base strength of per . * As a short-range attack, this is executed before the enemy gets a chance to retaliate. Any in the target unit that are killed by the attack do not get to deliver any Melee Damage. * This attack does not occur when the unit is Counter Attacking against an enemy assailant. However, it does enable its possessor to initiate Melee Attacks against units regardless of its own Movement Type. Experience Table The following table illustrates how Barbarian Swordsmen improve with Experience. Any properties that are not listed here are not affected by in any way. * To achieve this level, either the Warlord Retort or the spell must be in play. ** To achieve this level, both Warlord and must be in play simultaneously. Average Damage Output The table below details the average amount of "raw" that each in a Barbarian Swordsmen unit will deliver with each type of attack, based on . It can be used in comparison to the target's Defense rating to approximate the chance of hurting that target. Acquisition Barbarian Swordsmen may be recruited in any Barbarian Town that has both a Barracks and a Smithy already built. The Construction Cost of this unit is . Barbarian Swordsmen may also appear as Mercenaries, provided that the player has a presence on Arcanus. In this case, they cost between to to hire per unit, based on their - or half that much for Charismatic Wizards. Category:Units Category:Normal Units Category:Barbarians Category:Swordsmen